Time to Relax
by sookieandsamfan
Summary: In the aftermath of the events at Jurassic World, Owen convinces Claire that she needs to take some time to relax – and he has more than a few ways in mind to help her do that. This is not exactly a sequel to my "20 Questions" fanfic, but it could be, and there are a few nods to it in here for those of you who may have read it. Enjoy. Reviews welc
1. A seed is planted…

Set after the events of Jurassic World – spoilers!

From the movie…

"So, what do we do now?" Claire asked him.

"Better stick together," Owen responded. "You know, for survival and all."

My story starts here…

Chapter 1: A seed is planted…

And stick together they did.

The next few days were a blur. Between the news cameras, paperwork, and of course, general recovery, the aftermath of the deadly and destructive events stemming from the Indominus Rex escape seemed like they might never end. In truth, there was no real end in site, but things were at least settling down after about a week.

Claire's sister and her family were safely home as well as all the other guests. The majority of the employees (rides, food service, facilities, etc.) had also returned to their homes. Those remaining were more upper level employees like Claire and Owen, who were tasked with figuring out next steps. They were staying at a hotel in Costa Rica, which they had pretty much taken over and turned into a fully functioning off-site location, and they were trapped in meeting after meeting most days.

Claire and Owen had been sticking together as they promised – sharing coffee, grabbing a quick lunch together, checking in to make sure the other was okay when they passed each other in the hallway – but they had not been able to spend any real quality time together. Owen was on a team formulating a plan of how to get back on the island and retake control of the animals that were now roaming free, so he was staying busy, but not as busy as poor Claire. Claire had been reprimanded for her decisions to not immediately evacuate the island and to send out an initial team to hunt the I-Rex with only non-lethal weapons (both things Owen had been irritatingly right about); however, she had been praised for her final actions and bravery that ultimately resulted in saving tens of thousands of people. With Mr. Masrani dead and Dr. Wu nowhere to be found, it was hard to argue that Claire knew more about that park than anyone. She had been appointed interim CEO by the board of directors. It was a role she was happy to accept, but even she had to admit she already needed a break. It had been an intense few days.

She was sitting in a meeting listening to a team of geneticists present about what type of natural breeding, if any, could occur on the island before they were able to again take control. She was desperately trying to pay attention, but all she could think about was her conversation with Owen earlier that day when they had managed to grab a 20 minute lunch.

…earlier that day…

"Claire, are you okay?" Owen asked. "You look exhausted. Beautiful, but exhausted," he added grinning. She looked up from the salad she was mostly just picking at and gave him an appreciative smile.

"Yes, I'm fine she answered. Thank you. It's all just a bit overwhelming," she admitted. Owen was pleased and shocked to hear her share even an ounce of vulnerability. He decided he needed to act fast. He flashed a sneaky smile and leaned in close to her so only she could hear what he was about to say.

"You need to relax," he said. "I can, and am ready and willing, to help you do that, but it would require me actually getting you alone for more than five minutes," he added winking at her. Claire couldn't help but grin and shake her head a bit laughing. She was pretty sure she knew what Owen had in mind, and to be honest, she wanted nothing more than to spend some time alone with him. She wasn't sure exactly where their relationship was heading, but there was no denying that she was insanely attracted to and had romantic feelings for this man. She thought often of their heat of the moment, passionate kiss in the park after she had saved him from those damn flying dinosaurs. They had kissed a few more times in the past week, and Owen was always finding a way to touch her even it if was just grabbing her hand for a moment or placing his hand on her back as a show of support – but they had been hurried or comforting gestures. Nice – but not the type of kisses or touches that could lead to more even if they wanted them to. She decided to play along.

"Well," she said leaning in closer. "What did you have in mind Mr. Grady?" Owen was thrilled to have her attention, as it had been so hard to get for the past week. Plus, he felt his pants get a little tighter when she called him "Mr. Grady" in a flirting way.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he answered playfully raising his eyebrows. Claire laughed but then came back to reality.

"Owen, I would love to just hang out with you, but I can't. I'm in meetings until 9 p.m. tonight just like every other night. By the time I'm done, I'm so exhausted; I can barely make it to my hotel room before falling asleep. The only good thing about sleeping like I'm dead until the alarm goes off at 6 is I don't have nightmares."

"I get it Claire," Owen said. "I know how crucial and busy you are, but you can't continue making all these important decisions every day if you don't allow yourself time to breathe. You'll explode. You're the boss. Give everyone the evening off. I'm sure regrouping would be good for everyone. Everyone here is working hard – not as hard as you – but they are," he lobbied.

Claire thought about his proposal, which was pretty hard to argue with. About that time her phone dinged warning her about her meeting in 5 minutes. She could see the disappointment in his eyes. For a moment, he'd thought he had her. "Sorry, I have to go," she told him as she jumped up and threw the rest of her lunch in a nearby trashcan. She started to walk off, and then stopped herself. She turned back to Owen who was still seated, bent down and grabbed his shirt in her hand pulling him towards her. She gave him a full kiss on the lips then whispered in his ear, "I'll think about, I promise." Owen grinned up at her. "That's all I'm asking," he responded smugly as she ran to the next meeting.

…back in the meeting…

"Claire?" one of the presenters asked pulling her out of her daydream. "Are you okay with those next steps?" Claire had been paying enough attention earlier and trusted these folks enough to confidently say, "Yes, that sounds great. Let's schedule another update next week." She looked at her phone. It was now 6:45 p.m., and she was scheduled to go into another meeting with several other members of the executive team at 7 p.m. Owen's words resounded in her mind. "You're the boss," he had told her and he was right. Claire waited for everyone to arrive to the next meeting then promptly dismissed it. There were no major updates that couldn't wait until tomorrow she told them. "Enjoy your night." The relief on their faces told her that she had absolutely made the right decision, which she had Owen to thank for. And, she was pretty sure a few ways of doing that. Who knew where the night would lead. Whether she snuggled up with him on a bed somewhere and watched a movie – or if they did something more (oh the possibilities) she knew she just wanted to spend time with this wonderful man who had risked his life to save her and her family and had done nothing but try to help and be there for her for the past week.

Owen had been busy too, but she knew his meetings were letting out at much more reasonable hours, so she expected and hoped he would be in his room. He spent a lot time having dinner or having drinks with Barry, so she wasn't certain he would be there, but she felt confident she could track him down.


	2. Room service

Chapter 2: Room service…

She went back to her own hotel room and ordered a pizza and a six-pack of beer through room service. She took a shower, happy to discard her work clothes for a much more comfortable pair of yoga pants and t-shirt. She applied much lighter make-up than she would for work – just some powder, mascara and lip gloss, and let her naturally wavy hair air-dry. When the pizza arrived, she threw on a pair of flip-flops and made her way down one floor to Owen's room. Since the hall was empty, she knocked loudly and cheerfully called "Room Service for Mr. Grady." Inside Owen was sitting on the small couch in his room lacing up his tennis shoes, as he'd been getting ready to go to the gym. He smiled immediately recognizing her voice. He popped up and opened the door to see her standing in the hallway holding a six-pack and balancing a box of pizza on her hand. It was also not lost on him that she was dressed so casually. He had never seen her like that and thought she looked amazing.

"You must have the wrong room Little Lady," he said grinning. "I didn't order any room service."

"Oh, well this is a special delivery," she said seductively taking a step closer to him. "But, if you don't want it, I'll just try another room," she followed up teasingly.

"Not a chance," he said still smiling and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "Get in here," he said opening the door up wider so she could walk in. She placed the pizza and beer on the table inside and shed a small purse she had brought with her to carry her room key, phone, and a few other essentials, hanging it on a chair.

"Did I catch you at a bad time? Did you already eat?" she asked a bit panicking as she saw the bottle of water, towel and his room key and wallet on the small end table next to the couch. She put together that he was probably heading to they gym.

"Relax," Owen said resting his hands on her shoulders. "I was going to the gym, but I'd much rather stay here with you. And, I didn't eat yet. I usually eat dinner kind of late. I was going to grab something after my workout, but let's eat now. I'm starving."

He walked over the table and flipped back the top of the pizza box to discover a Hawaiian pizza inside. "Oh honey, you remembered," he said over exaggerating his gratitude. He had told her that was his favorite pizza as they had asked questions of each other while searching for her nephews to try and keep from panicking.

"Of course, I did," she said smiling. "Now let's eat." They sat at the table and clinked their beers in cheers before digging in to the delicious pizza.

"So, what made you skip your meeting?" Owen said smiling. Since he already knew the answer, Claire knew she was being set up, but he was just too cute to resist.

"Well, someone really wise and really good-looking told me that I needed to relax and promised to help me do it, so here I am." Owen was so glad he had convinced her to take the evening off, and helping her relax, whatever that meant, was his mission. When they had finished eating, Claire excused herself to the restroom discreetly grabbing her purse. She wasn't sure what this evening would hold, but she had high hopes, which started with fresh breath. She had tucked her toothbrush in her bag. She found some toothpaste on the sink and quickly brushed her teeth before heading back out into the main room. Owen had cleared the table and moved the remaining beers over the end table next to the couch in front of the TV. He was standing up channel surfing as she approached.

"Here," he said handing her the remote. "I'll be right back. Find something you want to watch, and then sit here," he added pointing to a pillow he'd placed on the floor in front of the couch. Intrigued, Claire just said, "Okay," as he also excused himself to the restroom. He noticed as he was washing his hands that his toothpaste was slightly out of place and realized she had brushed her teeth. The bristles of his toothbrush were still dry, so he knew she'd brought her own. "Of course she did," he thought to himself. "That woman was always prepared." He smiled hoping her fresh breath meant lots of lots of kissing in their future. He quickly brushed his teeth too – as he didn't want to disappoint.

When he returned he found her sitting exactly where he had told her still flipping through the channels. "I have no idea what to put on," she admitted. "I actually can't remember the last time I watched TV." Owen laughed and wasn't surprised. Claire was a self-proclaimed workaholic.

"Let me see," Owen offered reaching back for the remote. He was still standing at this point. He pinged through a few more channels before landing on the movie _Dodgeball_ , which was playing on some cable channel. "This movie is hilarious," Owen said. "You'll love it." He set the remote on the side table then proceeded to sit on the couch right behind placing his legs on either side of her body.

"What are you doing?" she asked turning slightly to look back at him. "Relaxing you," he responded and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Ah, a massage," she thought to herself.

"Oh, well this is a good start, Mr. Grady," she said in a flirting tone and turned back to face the TV.

"Keep calling me Mr. Grady, and it won't last that long," he leaned down and playfully whispered in her ear. They both laughed, and he proceeded to start rubbing her shoulders while they watched the movie. It felt so good; Claire thought she might literally pass out on the spot. It had been so long since someone had pampered her in any way. Owen's hands were strong but careful, and his touch was firm, but gentle. It was the absolute perfect combination. She praised him to make sure he didn't stop.

"You know, if your career as a raptor trainer goes belly up, you could get a job as a masseuse."

He smiled. "I'll take that into consideration," he added.

Owen continued to rub Claire's shoulders and back as they watched the movie enjoying touching her as much as she enjoyed being touched. "You know, I've been meaning to tell you something," Owen said after a few minutes. "What's that?" Claire said continuing to face forward. "I'm not sure I've mentioned how brave it was for you to let that T-Rex out," he said.

"Yeah, brave, and insane, and kind of stupid," Claire said. "There are so many ways that could have gone wrong."

"I know," Owen said, "But they didn't." Before things got too serious, he followed up with, "And, I'm not ashamed to admit that I was equally terrified and turned on when I saw you running up with that flare with that thing behind you. That was nuts. You're kind of a badass."

Claire laughed. "That's exactly what Zack said about you," she said.

"What?" Owen asked.

"When you were out with the raptors hunting the I-Rex, we were watching you on the iPad. Zack said, and I quote, 'Your boyfriend is a badass.' Not that your ego needs to be inflated," she continued laughing, "but he's right. You were a real hero."

"I like the sound of that," Owen responded gently pausing his hands.

"I'm sure you do," Claire said playfully. "What do you like better, hero or badass?"

"No," not that part," he continued. "The part where he called me your boyfriend."

Claire now looked back at him and up into his eyes. "Oh you do, do you?" she said teasingly. She had now fully turned around and was now crouched on her knees in front of him between his legs. "I like the sound of that too," she said.

They locked eyes and it was over. Their arms wrapped around each other as they crashed into a passionate kiss. Owen pulled Claire up and off the floor onto his lap. They kissed desperately for a few minutes until they finally had to break apart for air leaning their foreheads against each other.

"Hey," Owen said panting, pulling her head back and looking into her eyes. "This night is supposed to be relaxing. Let's take this slow," he said.

"Okay," Claire responded lucky she could even coherently say anything at all. Owen kissed her again – a much slower and consuming kiss now repositioning them on the tiny couch so he was lying over her. They kissed like teenagers for what must have been a half hour, at least. Claire ran her hands through Owen's hair, across his back and up and down his arms. Owen cupped her face with one hand and ran the free one up and down the length of her entire body. Claire had never felt so relaxed in her whole life.

"God you feel good," she whispered in his ear as she ran her fingernails over his biceps. It was more than he could handle, and disregarding his own orders to take things slow, Owen started to pick up the pace again. He couldn't help himself. When his hand grazed over her hip and backside, and she let out a low moan, it fueled him in a way he had not felt in a long time. "Can we move this to the bed," Owen asked against her lips hopefully, as he grew more aware that the small couch just would not do for what he had in mind. "I think we'd be more comfortable."

"You're in charge," she responded. "I'm sorry, what?" Owen said looking stunned. Claire laughed, "You heard me. You're in charge." "Remember you said that," he replied and got up from the couch pulling her hand to drag her up with him.

"I'll be right back," he said and moved to go into the bathroom. "Stand right here, and close your eyes" he said pulling her toward the bottom of the bed." She playfully said "Yes, sir," and did as she was asked as he disappeared into the other room.


	3. The Right Impression

Chapter 3: The right impression…

Owen knew he had condoms somewhere in his dop kit. He wanted to get one now so if he needed it (God he hoped he needed) he didn't have to interrupt the moment. He had asked her to close her eyes for two reasons – one he just wanted to see if she would do it to gage if he really was in charge (doubtful), and two, he wanted to put the condom on the nightstand in a place that he could get to it easily but that she couldn't see it. She was showing no signs of backing down from what seemed to be about to happen, but he didn't want to assume she was ready to jump into bed with him. Maybe she really did just want to make out and take things slow, which was also fine with him.

He flipped off the light in the bathroom and returned to the dimly lit bigger room. Before the movie, he had adjusted the lighting, so there was only a single lamp on in the corner of the room, so it wasn't too bright. He had turned the TV off when they had gotten up to move from the couch to the bed. As he looked up and his eyes adjusted from being in the brightly lit bathroom, there was Claire in the same spot he'd left her, but she was now completely naked, her clothes in a pile beside her on the floor and her eyes were wide open. Not to mention, she had a sneaky grin plastered across her face. Owen stopped in his tracks and stared. What a truly remarkable woman. Her pale skin, her perfect body – it was even better than he had imagined. He swallowed hard trying to regain his composure. Before he could formulate anything coherent to say, she broke the silence.

"So I figure that you were just in there hunting a condom and had some elaborate plan to hide it just in case you had the wrong impression. Am I right?"

"Man, she can read me like a book," he thought to himself. He still couldn't speak as he looked at her beautiful and naked body. So instead he just shook his head truthfully yes and held up the condom to show her she was right.

"That's what I thought," she said now starting to walk toward him. "So let me set the record straight that you do have the right impression. I appreciate that you were willing to make sure sleeping with you is what I had in mind, so you can rest assured that's exactly what I expected to happen when I came here tonight, and it's exactly what I want to happen. That's what you want to, right?" she asked.

Owen still couldn't get out any words, so he again shook his head yes.

"Good," she said coming closer with every step. "So how about you take your clothes off and take me to bed."

Owen finally found his words. "I thought I was in charge here?" he asked clearing his throat still effected by her.

"We can take turns being in charge," Claire responded and reached for the bottom of his t-shirt. He raised his arms to allow her to take it off. "God, he's hot," she thought to herself as she dropped it on the floor. She took the condom from his hand and placed it on the nightstand. She then reached for the hem of his athletic shorts and pushed them and his boxers down to his ankles. He had shed his tennis shoes and socks long ago, so with two steps, he was now naked as well.

"Now what, boss lady?" Owen asked playfully as they stood within inches of each other not touching yet.

"You're back in charge now, Mr. Grady," she said into his ear rising on her tiptoes and stepping close enough to him that he could feel her chest pressing up against him.

"Good," Owen said before capturing her lips in a kiss.

Owen wrapped his arms around her waist as she did the same around his neck. He walked her back towards the bed, and when her knees hit the back he gently lowered her down onto the bed scooting her towards the pillows and hovering over top of her. He kissed her some more then started letting his kisses roam to other parts of her body. His mouth ran down her neck towards her chest. As his warms lips closed over her breasts, she moaned loudly and ran her hands through his hair. "God, Owen," she breathed heavily as he worked his way further down her body planting kisses across her stomach until his head was finally between her legs. Owen skillfully used his mouth and tongue to slowly drive Claire over the edge as she moaned his name over and over. As she came back to reality from the mind-blowing orgasm he produced, she felt like she might melt into the bed.

As Owen came back up to lie beside her, he stroked her cheek, grinned widely and asked, "Relaxed?"

She lazily opened her eyes and said, "Yes, Mr. Grady. I give your skills an A plus."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," he said teasing. "You are not an easy woman to please." Then, he smiled and kissed her forehead gently. "You're so beautiful," he said now seriously nuzzling the side of her neck. She let Owen continue to dote on her for another five or ten minutes as she continued to come back to reality.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been turned on again, she was desperate for Owen – desperate to have him inside her. She began to kiss him passionately and rolled him over onto his back climbing over him. "

Your turn to be in charge?" he asked between kisses.

"Yep," she answered smiling. They made out for a few more minutes, until Claire felt Owen's rock hard erection pushing into her hip. She was more than ready too. She straddled him and smiled as she reached over to grab the condom from the nighstand. She tore open the package and slid down his legs far enough to roll it on. He watched her in awe – powerless against her. Then, she locked eyes with him and gently rose up and lowered herself onto him. They both groaned loudly at the much-desired contact. He reached for her hands and intertwined their fingers as she gently rocked against him. It felt so good he could barely keep it together, so he just tried to focus on watching her, and oh did he love watching her. Her eyes were now closed and her head slightly back. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and at that moment, he knew that he'd never let her go. When she slightly picked up the pace, he rose up to meet her so they were now in a sitting position. They stayed like that for a while arms wrapped around each other, mouths everywhere, until she purred into his ear. "You can take over if you want."

Owen smiled and promptly flipped them so she was pinned beneath him. They fit together perfectly – like they were made for each other. As they rocked against each other, the intensity finally became too much, and Claire once again fell over the edge. Owen followed quickly saying her name in her ear. As they breathing slowed, he rolled off of her but pulled her close to him. "I'd say we deserved that," he said smugly smiling and kissing her again.

"Absolutely," Claire echoed.

"You're one amazing woman, you know that," he said brushing her hair out of her face. She leaned into his warm hand.

"Ditto," she said playfully and pulled him down into another kiss. They lie together chatting and giggling for a while longer until Claire yawned.

"Sleepy?" he asked gently. She looked into his eyes and teasingly said.

"It's your fault. You wore me out." He laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Let's go to sleep then," Owen said. It wasn't even a question as to whether she would spend the night. He got up and went to the bathroom to clean up and retrieved his boxers from the floor on the way back. Claire did the same; expect she slipped on just her underwear and the t-shirt he had been wearing when she emerged from the restroom. It was at least three sizes to big for her.

"You'd better turn off that light quickly before I ravage you again," he said at the site of her. She looked so hot in his shirt. Claire just giggled, flipped off the lamp, and crawled into bed beside him.

She snuggled up next to him resting her head on his chest. "Thank you," she said tracing his chest with her finger.

"No, thank you," he responded playfully as he rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"No, I mean it," she said now lifting up slightly so she could look into his eyes. "As you've probably figured out I have a hard time allowing myself any down time. You helped me realize that I needed to relax for my own sanity. You are taking good care of me."

"You are so welcome," Owen responded smiling. "Gotta take care of my girl." With that, she leaned down and gave him one final toe-curling good night kiss slipping her tongue into his mouth.

"You'd better stop, or I'm not going to let you sleep," he said playfully against her lips. She giggled then rested her head against him again, and they both fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.


	4. The next morning

Chapter 4: The next morning…

Claire heard her phone alarm beeping from across the room in her purse and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 6 a.m. – her normal wake-up time. As she roused herself, she smiled. Owen was now spooning her, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her, his nose nuzzled in the back of her hair. "A girl could get used to this," Claire thought to herself. Her phone beeped about five times then went silent. She knew she needed to turn it off or the way she had it set it would keep going off about every 15 minutes until she did. She gently tried to untangle herself from Owen's grasped, but he just clung to her tighter – like a boa constrictor trying to keep it's prey in place. She tried again to free herself when Owen said sleepily, "No, stay here."

"I need to get my phone," Claire responded. "It will just keep going off. Besides, I've got to get going. I have a meeting at 8."

"And, she's back," Owen said laughing kissing the back of her neck. Claire playfully swatted him.

"As much as I'd like to stay in bed with you all day Mr. Grady, I have work to do."

"Come on," he said in a begging tone. "20 more minutes please." He added a bit of pouting to the last word.

"My phone's going off again in about 10 – that's all you get," she responded sternly.

"I'll take it," he said now fully awake, and reached back to turn her face back towards him so he could kiss her good morning. "Screw morning breath," Claire thought to herself and gladly kissed him back. He pretty quickly slid his hands down her body to her underwear tugging at them and said, "Take these off."

"Owen," she argued against his lips. 10 minutes."

"I only need 10 minutes," he said smugly. Claire just laughed and reached down to help shed her underwear as she felt him doing the same with his boxers, kicking them toward the bottom of the bed. She started to turn to face him, but he gently held her in place and said into her ear, "No." She immediately understood and just nodded her head. She scooted back against him. "Mmmm," he said into her ear snaking his hand underneath her t-shirt (which was actually his) and running his fingers across her chest as she moaned. He paused for a moment to reach over her toward the nightstand and pulled a condom from behind the clock.

"I was wondering how you were going to manage that," she whispered laughing.

"You're not the only one who is prepared missy," he said smiling. "I tucked that baby back there before we went to sleep – just in case." She just laughed and said, "Good thinking."

Owen knew his window was drawing to a close. He rolled on the condom, and then went back to the task at hand. He put his hand back under Claire's shirt but pretty quickly moved lower. Just as she began writhing as he caressed her between her legs, he gently slipped into her from behind. "Oh god," she cooed letting out a deep breath. As promised, Owen kept to his time frame. He brought Claire to release within a few minutes and soon followed with a groan pulling her close.

"You have know idea what you do to me," he whispered in her ear as they caught their breath.

"Yes, I do," she responded. "Cause you do it to me too."

Right about then Claire's phone went off for the second time, and they both knew the moment was over. Claire looked at Owen hopefully, and he reluctantly released her from his grasp. "Go ahead," he said laughing and kissed the tip of her nose. She hopped up quickly and dashed across the room to grab her phone and turn off the alarm. She quickly glanced at her email – 140 unread messages. "Geez," she thought to herself, but then quickly followed up in her own mind as she looked back at Owen with, "Who cares, it was worth it."

She retrieved her clothes from the floor, and then popped into the restroom. She emerged fully clothed again so she could go back to her own room and shower and change into work clothes. Owen had gotten out of bed and was now dressed in a fresh t-shirt and athletic shorts. He was sitting on the couch lacing up his running shoes. "Might as well go to the gym since I'm up this early," he said smiling. "My first meeting today isn't until 9. I'll walk you to your room first." Claire laughed.

"What a gentleman," she said playfully. He grinned – would she ever get tired of seeing that. "Probably not," she thought to herself. They took the elevator up one floor, and Owen dropped Claire off outside her room. It was only about 6:30, so the halls were still empty.

"Thank you for a lovely evening, Mr. Grady," Claire said in a flirting tone.

"You bet," he said then captured her lips in a goodbye kiss. It quickly turned hungry, and he pushed her back against the door. She wrapped her arms around his neck rather than pushing him away, but knowing she would scold him if he kept her from getting ready for work, he broke their passionate kiss and followed up with a more chaste peck. "I hope you have a great day," he said sweetly. Then more playfully added. "Happy to help you relax anytime."

"I just might take up on that," Claire said smiling and gave him one more kiss before turning quickly and heading into her room. She knew she was in danger of either dragging him in there with her or letting him have his way with her in the hall if she didn't get away quickly. He laughed and knocked on the now closed door.

"Go away, Owen," she said smiling to herself.

"Fine," he called through the door. "I'll miss you," he added seriously and sweetly.

She couldn't resist opening the door again just a crack to see his grinning face. "I'll miss you too," she said and gave him one more quick kiss before softly shutting the door.

She got ready for work feeling better than she had in a long time. She was going to a find a way to continue having more of a personal and professional balance. Spending time with Owen was not just fun, it helped ground her, and she felt like she could think more clearly now.

Owen strode off to the gym feeling victorious. He was already plotting ways of getting Claire alone again as soon as possible.


End file.
